Chapter 132 Sharing a Daughter: Lin Jingxian Welcomes Zuo Qinghuan
"Is Wanshu a bit of a quiet child, personality-wise?" Lin Jingxian asked with a smile.
"Mm, she is a bit quiet!" Zuo Qinghuan nodded playfully, thinking, 'As expected, mother knows daughter best.'
Qin Wanshu, who had been listening intently with ears pricked, wondered, 'Is my personality really that quiet?' Zuo Qinghuan had mentioned before that she wasn't good at understanding romantic cues, but this was the first time her mother had called her personality 'quiet'.
Lin Jingxian paused, slightly surprised. She hadn't expected Zuo Qinghuan to agree so directly; she'd thought Zuo Qinghuan might try to put a positive spin on it.
"Has she always been this quiet since she was little? Did she ever throw herself into your arms and act spoiled when she was young? Does she tend to keep things bottled up inside?" Zuo Qinghuan asked, full of curiosity and a touch of longing. She really wanted to know what Qin Wanshu was like when acting spoiled, though she suspected that even as a child, Qin Wanshu probably wasn't the type to do so often.
"Old folks always say, 'You can tell a person's future at three, and their whole life by six.' Wanshu has been this quiet since she was small. She was well-behaved and didn't need much looking after, wasn't clingy, always had her own ideas about things, and didn't often share them with others..." Zuo Qinghuan's words resonated with Lin Jingxian. While it was good that Wanshu was obedient and sensible from a young age, the thought that she had never once thrown herself into her arms to act spoiled brought a pang of regret to Lin Jingxian.
Lin Jingxian and Zuo Qinghuan chatted away, starting from Qin Wanshu's birth and going all the way to her growing up. They found they had plenty to talk about. Qin Wanshu, whose name kept being brought up, felt a little helpless. It was a good thing her mother and her lover were getting along so well, but couldn't they shift the topic away from her? Especially discussing her right in front of her – it felt quite awkward! However, she began to understand her mother's perspective. Having a child who was too worry-free perhaps left her, as a mother, lacking a sense of accomplishment. Thinking this, Qin Wanshu felt incredibly blameless in the whole situation.
"Considering your relationship with Wanshu, how about you start calling me 'Mom' too, just like Wanshu does?" Lin Jingxian genuinely liked Zuo Qinghuan. This child didn't just see Wanshu's good side; she seemed to love even her flaws as if they were virtues, which greatly pleased Lin Jingxian.
Zuo Qinghuan knew this meant Mother Qin was formally acknowledging her. A sense of disbelief washed over her, mixed with a little unease; it almost felt unreal. She glanced towards Qin Wanshu, asking with her eyes, 'Is it really okay for me to call her that?'
Qin Wanshu was also a bit surprised, but she was happy with this outcome. She smiled and nodded at Zuo Qinghuan. She was more than willing to share her mother with Zuo Qinghuan and hoped Zuo Qinghuan could fulfill her mother's wish for a daughter who knew how to act spoiled.
Seeing Zuo Qinghuan look to Qin Wanshu for confirmation, Lin Jingxian couldn't help but think that Wanshu would probably have this girl wrapped around her little finger in the future.
"Mom..." Zuo Qinghuan called out, a little shyly. The feeling Zuo Qinghuan had at this moment was just like any woman calling her mother-in-law 'Mom' for the first time.
Qin Wanshu watched Zuo Qinghuan with great interest. It was rare to see Zuo Qinghuan looking so bashful.
Just as dinnertime approached, Qin Zheng finally made his move.
"The Master requests Miss Zuo's presence in the study," Qin Hai announced formally.
Old Master Qin finally wants to see me, Zuo Qinghuan thought. She felt like she had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
Qin Wanshu also wanted to know what her grandfather would say to Zuo Qinghuan. She wanted to accompany Zuo Qinghuan upstairs, to stand by her side and face this together.
"Young Miss, the Master requested only Miss Zuo Qinghuan to come to the study," Qin Hai said respectfully to Qin Wanshu.
"Don't worry. Wait for me to come back," Zuo Qinghuan said to Qin Wanshu, her tone earnest and firm, offering reassurance.
"Okay, I'll wait for you," Qin Wanshu nodded. She chose to trust Zuo Qinghuan.
Qin Wanshu's words, "I'll wait for you," sent a wave of warmth through Zuo Qinghuan's heart. This time, she resolved, I absolutely will not back down.
Qin Hai led Zuo Qinghuan into the Qin residence and then departed.
Zuo Qinghuan entered Qin Zheng's study. This was her second time here. The atmosphere and furnishings seemed unchanged, and even Qin Zheng's actions were remarkably similar to three years ago – he was currently polishing an antique porcelain bowl.
"Old Master, I am Zuo Qinghuan," Zuo Qinghuan spoke first. Her state of mind was completely different from three years ago; at least she wasn't as nervous and uneasy as she had been back then.
"So, you came back after all." Qin Zheng put down the porcelain bowl and sighed softly. It seemed the outcome of the past three years hadn't been what he'd expected. Qin Zheng sized up Zuo Qinghuan. At his age, Qin Zheng had met countless people; he could discern strength and weakness at a glance. Only the weak panicked easily and showed their unease, while the strong knew how to conceal their emotions, never letting an opponent easily grasp a weakness to attack. That was why, three years ago, Qin Zheng could easily seize upon Zuo Qinghuan's vulnerability stemming from her low self-esteem, crushing her completely. Now, however, this young woman was much harder to deal with than she had been three years prior.
"Yes. From the moment I left, I knew I would definitely come back," Zuo Qinghuan stated calmly.
"Let's have some tea and chat slowly." Qin Zheng gestured for Zuo Qinghuan to sit down and began to heat water.
"Mm," Zuo Qinghuan wasn't in a hurry either. Old Master Qin's greatest skill was indirect tactics. Zuo Qinghuan decided to meet his maneuvers by staying constant herself.
"These past three years must have been very hard, haven't they?" Qin Zheng asked gently.
"Other things weren't the hardest part. The hardest part was not being by Qin Wanshu's side," Zuo Qinghuan replied with a smile.
"Although you've grown considerably in these three years, Wanshu has been growing too. The distance between you will always exist." This time, Qin Zheng didn't beat around the bush as much, getting straight to the point.
"As long as two people are independent individuals, there will always be differences. It's precisely because there are differences that complementarity is needed. What kind of person do you truly think is suitable for her? Moreover, have you asked her what kind of person she needs? When it comes to whether shoes fit, doesn't the person wearing them have the most right to speak?" Zuo Qinghuan fired back three consecutive questions at Qin Zheng.
"But at the very least, it should be a man, someone who won't be judged and pointed at by society." With Zuo Qinghuan's return, Qin Zheng had anticipated that she wouldn't be easy to dismiss this time. In fact, she was proving even more difficult than he had imagined. He had also foreseen that he might ultimately be unable to sway her; Qin Zheng just felt a lingering unwillingness to accept it.
"Wanshu fell in love with me precisely because I am a woman. Even if it weren't me, perhaps the next person she chose would still be a woman." Zuo Qinghuan didn't care whether Qin Wanshu had truly fallen for her because she was a woman; she was going to stick firmly to this point.
Qin Zheng froze. He had never considered it from this angle before. He had always believed love between a man and a woman was natural and right, assuming Wanshu had simply been led astray by Zuo Qinghuan's influence. But what if it was true? What if, even without Zuo Qinghuan, Wanshu still wouldn't choose a man, but another woman instead? He could interfere once, but could he really interfere a second time, a third time, indefinitely?